World Book Day celebrates exciting worlds that beckon us
"There is no friend as loyal as a book," American novelist Hemingway once observed.
This World Book Day (April 23), we celebrate those "friends" – the books that whisk us back to antiquity, catapult us into intergalactic space, educate us, compel us to stop and think, make us laugh or cry, and open our eyes to see ourselves and others in wider perspectives.
Whether we get them from libraries, bookstores or online retailers, whether we read with them in our hands or on smartphones, books beckon us to enter exciting worlds.
Whatever your preference – romances, history, science, self-improvement, whodunits or science fiction – there's a book for every bookworm. Shanghai Daily has chosen a few places that should delight book lovers.
1. Ensie in Wonderland
Chen Shiyuan (right) chats with a friend outside her book cafe.
The small book café Ensie in Wonderland, located on Danshui Road in Huangpu District, is owned by Chen Shiyuan, who divides her time between London and Shanghai.
Most of the books in the cafe are English-language editions brought from overseas. The books are not for sale but can be borrowed by customers or read in situ by those with time to linger.
Chen told Shanghai Daily that visiting bookshops, especially second-hand venues, was a pleasurable pastime when she was studying overseas. Many older bookstores she browsed had been open for decades, creating their own cachet with customers.
"My English name is Ensie, and a bookstore is like a wonderland to me." Chen said, explaining the name of her shop and its reference to "Alice in Wonderland."
Opened in February, the cafe has become popular with those seeking English books.
Chen said she plans new reading activities, including a book exchange, an English corner and book-reading sessions.
If you go:
Opening hours: 10am-7pm, closed on Tuesdays
Address: 222 Danshui Rd, Huangpu District
2. Dejin Bookstore
A curbside wall crammed with foreign books at Dejin Bookstore
Dejin Bookstore on Fuzhou Road in Huangpu District features a curbside wall nook crammed with foreign books. The venue is located on what is called "Bookshop Street," near the entrance to an older residential community.
Dejin Bookstore, which has been operating for years, mostly sells new books, both Chinese and English, at a discount.
Different genres of books are mixed together, inviting readers to browse through a treasure trove of reading.
The shop's owner, surnamed Peng, also accepts requests to find books not on display for readers. He said he considers his customers as his friends.
The most popular books are displaced on a curbside shelf.
Weather alert: in bad weather, the shop may not open.
"If the weather is foul, it's best to check with me on WeChat before coming to shop," Peng advises customers.
The 50 percent discount offered in the shop is not fixed.
"You can always bargain with me and give me a good reason for a larger discount," Peng said with a smile.
If you go:
Opening hours: 10am-6:30pm, check with owner on WeChat if shop is open during bad weather.
Address: 2-5 Lane 531, Fuzhou Rd, Huangpu District
3. Shirokara World Japanese Original Anime and Manga Bookstore
The bookstore specializing in popular Japanese genres is all self-service.
It looks a bit like a cargo container, but inside the streetside Shirokara World Japanese Original Anime and Manga Bookstore on Guangji Road in Hongkou District, fans of theses popular Japanese genres can buy or borrow secondhand books 24/7.
The books are well maintained and almost look new.
It's all self-service. Space is limited so people can't sit and read inside unless the venue is pretty empty. For only 1 yuan (15 US cents) a day, readers can borrow books.
"My girlfriend wanted to open a bookstore near our office building," the owner, surnamed Yao, told Shanghai Daily. "We bought these books from Japan."
The 24-hour "container" bookstore lit up at night
Yao said the customers sometimes leave gifts of animation products in the shop or bring favorite volumes of manga to share with others.
In a visitor book, readers can draw their favorite manga characters or write notes about their love of the genre.
The bookstore used to provide "blind boxes" of different book genres for readers.
"We plan to open more bookstores in other cities, combining online and offline services," Yao said.
If you go:
Opening hours: 24 hours every day
Address: 615 Guangji Rd, Hongkou District
4. Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore
An array of stock at the Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore
The Shanghai branch of China International Bookstore opened in 1950 and eight years later was renamed Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore.
Located on Fuzhou Road, the venue is the city's largest state-owned bookstore specializing in foreign-language books – about 50,000 volumes spanning literature, social sciences, art, language, children's reading and other fields.
The books are in 35 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Japanese.
In recent years, the bookstore has gradually created three sub-brands – Art Bookstore, Matsuzaka Shooku, and Yijia Children's Music.
Located on the 4th floor, Matsuzaka Shooku is the former Japanese Language Center, with about 30,000 volumes of Japanese books. In particular, the shop stocks a wide variety of Japanese anime, manga, games. The Japanese anime shop chain Animate also operates a store near it.
If you go:
Opening Hours: 10am-6:30pm
Address: 90 Fuzhou Rd, Huangpu District
5. Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes
Spanish cultural themes decorate Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes.
Established in 2007, the Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes on Anfu Road in Xuhui District is a library affiliated with the Spanish Consulate-General in Shanghai and the Cervantes Institute.
It is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Spanish culture and language education.
The library has more than 15,000 volumes of books and audio-visual materials for readers to borrow.
The venue also hosts bilingual exhibitions, film screenings, lectures, concerts and cultural salons related to the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries.
If you go:
Opening hours: 11am-6:30pm; closed on Sundays
Address: 208 Anfu Rd, Xuhui District
A tranquil reading area at the Hongkou branch of Alliance Française de Shanghai Library
6. Alliance Française de Shanghai Multimedia Library
The library of Alliance Française de Shanghai has branches in Hongkou and Xuhui districts, and both are open to the public.
"The one in Hongkou is more like a comprehensive library, while the one in Xuhui is more like a children's library," said Chen Yi, curator of the library.
The library has 20,000 books, more than 40 French magazine titles and 2,000 French DVDs and CDs.
The library receives an average of 25,000 Chinese and foreign readers every year, and organizes various cultural activities related to French culture.
It features a "French Learning Corner" with material selected by professional staff and divided into four study levels.
If you go:
Opening hours: 10am-6pm (Tue-Fri)
10am-5pm (Sat-Sun); closed on Mondays
Address: 297 Wusong Rd (Hongkou branch); 39 Hongcao Rd (Xuhui branch)
